A third of UK workers have seen changes in their working patterns to spend more time at their offices in the past six months, and Heineken has set out its stall: it wants more Brits in the office.
Only with a bit of a twist: the beer brand is renaming pubs across the UK to ‘The Office’ to spotlight the silver lining of being back at your desk – the bit that comes right after.
Whether it’s the commute, the unspoken rule of needing to make everyone a cup of coffee, or simply the need to put something smart on, we’ve all had our fair share of gripes with heading back to the office. But one thing’s been overlooked in the years-long debate – and that’s the value of catching up with colleagues to socialise after work.
Heineken has long championed making connections with people face to face, and now, with 46% of hybrid workers saying they miss out on post-work patter, the beer brand is offering a free pint of Heineken Original or Heineken 0.0 for workers and their colleagues at more than 1,000 pubs.
Some 22 million people across the UK enjoy after work socialising with their colleagues, but that figure has seen a slight reduction from pre-pandemic figures (down 5%). Since then, new working practices mean some 58% of Gen Z hybrid workers have never met some of those they work with – and that’s despite 72% of them agreeing the best place to build a relationship with your co-workers is outside of work.
The after-work social has long been a sacred British tradition, fostering connections and fuelling productivity. Some 78% of workers polled said after work socialising is a good way to meet new people and contacts. A further 32% said they have their most honest conversations at the pub, while 74% of Gen Z claimed they have their best work ideas not at work, but at the pub social straight afterwards.
It should be no surprise, then, that a new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research showed that every £10 spent on after-work socialising brings an additional £13.40 to the wider economy.
In fact, after-work socialising is set to sustain an aggregate economic footprint of £28.9bn in the UK 2025 alone, and the sector supports a massive 300,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
What’s more, some 45% of workers say knowing their manager on a more personal level can strengthen their career prospects. There’s good news for businesses too: 59% said they’d be less likely to quit a job if they had a strong relationship with their colleagues.
Nabil Nasser, Global Head of Heineken, said:
“The return-to-office chat continues to stir up debate. After years of video calls and virtual cheers it’s safe to say that while we might not miss the office, we’ve certainly missed those real, in-person laughs with our colleagues. At Heineken, we’ve always believed the best moments happen when people get together, so this month we’re raising our pints to ‘circling back’ to our colleagues – at the pub.”
Heineken will be renaming the following pubs to ‘The Office’ on Thursday 9th October:
- Two Bridges, Bermondsey, London
- Devonshire Arms, Duke Street London
- The Atlas Bar, Deansgate, Manchester
- The Cross Keys, Earle St, Liverpool
- Admiral Woods, Waterloo St, Glasgow
While a handful of pubs are cheekily changing their signs, more than 1,000 pubs in England are taking part in the offer of a free pint of Heineken or Heineken 0.0 to share with colleagues. Simply sign up here to receive a voucher, which can be shared with up to three friends (one pint per person), Monday to Friday throughout October from 4:59pm. In Scotland and Wales, scan the QR code in-pub or head online after 4:59pm for the chance to win limited-edition Heineken merch.
